Stoker

Synopsis

After India’s father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

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Perfect example of a cinematic, well-directed orchestra, where each element: photography, editing, acting, art is perfectly bonded. Turning an ordinary thriller, into something extraordinary. Everything is perfect until the last 5 minutes, when an abrupt decrescendo makes the film does not culminate in height.

Hard to reflect on this one. Visually outstanding, probably his best visual work as he is inventive and his framing is perfection. However, it has none of the energy or trauma of his best work, and it is hard to ignore the fact that the film is essentially empty as a result. Gorgeous to behold, but without the resonance or after-effects of his real masterpieces.

An unconventional and hitchcockian (dare I say it) take on family secrets and dysfunctional relationships, this movie is just my type. Sleek and beautifully shot, it carefully deconstructs a morbid secret with great confidence and rhythm. The three lead actors are incredible (Kidman in that cold speech on motherhood, and Wasikowska and Good with their chemistry at the piano) and it gets even better on a second watch!

Strong performances from the 3 stars and Park's direction/visuals really make this really pop as a southern gothic creeper. Complains about the plot/ or the logic of this or that seem beside the point.

Everything in this film is exquisite - the cinematography, the actors, the music, Park's poetic touch - except guy-from-Prison Break's script, which feels like something a matured, experienced writer would've massively improved in half an hour. So in the end it's just a banal thriller from a brilliant filmmaker who never knew banality.

Scratching my chin on this one. A visual delight that's masterfully crafted, the story unfortunately when stripped bare is clichéd and utter nonsense. Wasikowska is the only saving grace but even her motivations appear muddled. It's as if the film is striving for pure poetry AND plot but instead ends up cancelling itself out. 2.5 stars

There's nothing particularly interesting in Stoker, it's somewhere along the lines of a bad De Palma film or a modern adaptation of Hitchcock's mediocre 'Shadows of a Doubt', but there's something enticing about the way the film's directed, it's often pretty funny and macabre and the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously made me enjoy it a lot more than I expected to.